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Undergraduate Opportunities

Many ChBE undergraduate students conduct research while at CU. This may be through:

Senior Thesis (class credit)

Independent Student (class credit)

Research for Pay (DLAP, UROP, BURST, REU)

Volunteering in the lab

Read more about these different opportunities below.

Senior Thesis

The department offers a Senior Thesis Option as part of its course work. Senior Thesis students work for two consecutive semesters at 2 credit hours per semester on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. Students are expected to complete a written thesis as well as poster and oral presentations that highlight the progress of their research. The Senior Thesis is listed as CHEN 4010 (first semester) and CHEN 4020 (second semester), and this two-semester sequence may be substituted for Chemical Engineering Laboratory 2 (CHEN 4130).

In order to qualify for Senior Thesis, students must: 1) Complete Chemical Engineering Laboratory 1 (CHEN 3130) with a grade of B or better. 2) Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30. 3) Develop a project that is endorsed by a faculty research advisor. 4) Receive the approval of the Department's Senior Thesis Instructor (Professor Stoykovich).

Independent Study

Undergraduates may register for an independent study project under the supervision of one of our faculty (CHEN 2840, 3840, or 4840). As a general rule of thumb, a three-credit-hour project will require 9 hours of research work per week. The independent study project course counts as a technical elective. These opportunities allow for individual contact with faculty and graduate students, and they provide a hands-on educational experience that cannot be obtained in the traditional classroom setting. Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities, especially if interested in graduate school or a career in scientific research.

Research for Pay and Volunteering

The Earn-Learn Apprenticeship Program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU-Boulder provides financial support for students while they work part-time within the college. Examples of available positions include providing lab or course support, tutoring, preparing educational materials, and participating in outreach activities with K-12 students.

Study Abroad encourages ChBE students to consider this opportunity, given the international nature of most large chemical and engineering corporations and international cooperation in scientific and engineering research. Many faculty members have significant international experience.

Because of the more specialized courses later in the curriculum, we advise considering a semester abroad as early as possible.

Concurrent BS/MS Program

Purpose

The concurrent BS/MS program in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering enables especially well-qualified students to work concurrently towards a BS in Chemical Engineering or Chemical and Biological Engineering and a MS degree in Chemical Engineering. Students are admitted into the program during the spring of their junior year and begin planning a graduate program. This program allows for early planning of the MS portion of the student’s education, taking graduate courses as part of their BS degree requirements. Up to six credit hours may be counted towards both the BS and MS degree programs.

Admission

Application for admission into the BS/MS program may be made at any time during or after the student enters his or her junior year. The application deadline for fall admission is February 1st. The deadline for spring admission is October 1st. The minimum requirements for the application to the BS/MS program are:

Completion of the following five CHEN core courses with a minimum grade of B- in each course: CHEN 2120, CHEN 3200, CHEN 3210, CHEN 3320, CHEN 3010;

A minimum overall GPA of 3.25;

A minimum GPA of 3.0 in CHEN course work;

GRE;

Provide a one-page Statement of Purpose. The statement should describes briefly your past work in the field, including noncourse educational experiences, teaching , or other relevant employment, publication, theses, research in progress, other scholarly activities, and your plans for graduate study and a professional career;

Applications will not be accepted that do not meet the minimum requirements for admission.

Once admitted to the program, the student must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.0 in all CHEN undergraduate and graduate courses to remain in good academic standing. Students must be enrolled full-time (12 credit hours per semester for undergraduate standing and 5 credit hours per semester for graduate standing). Students may remain under undergraduate standing throughout the program, but can elect to be admitted into the graduate school once a student has completed the 128 credit hours of course work required for a BS degrees.

Curriculum

Undergraduate requirements: A total of 128 credit hours is required, which include 88 credit hours of required technical courses, 18 credit hours of technical and chemistry electives, 18 credit hours of humanities & social science courses, including electives, and 4 credit hours of free electives.

Master’s degree requirements: A total of 30 credit hours is required including 10 credit hours of required technical courses in Chemical Engineering (described below) and of which 15 credit hours must be in Chemical Engineering. A maximum of 6 credit hours of courses at the 3000 level and above in another department may count towards the MS degree; however, only 5000 level and above in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department may be applied towards the MS degree. Pass/fail courses do not count towards the degree. Only those courses for which the student receives a grade of B- or better will count toward the MS degree. Students undertaking the thesis option may take 4-6 credit hours of MS thesis, but at least 24 credit hours of course work are required.